Read full article by Doug Marrin (The Sun Times News)
“The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) recently announced it is moving forward with establishing formal limits for certain PFAS compounds in drinking water. The move comes after reviewing draft regulations proposed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. The Governor’s office has been pushing both EGLE and the Michigan PFAS Action Response Team (MPART) to establish legal standards.
‘Cleaning up drinking water and protecting public health is a top priority for me and my administration,’ Whitmer said in a statement. ‘We can no longer wait for the federal government to act, which is why I directed EGLE to establish PFAS drinking water standards to protect Michiganders. Moving forward with the rulemaking process moves us one step closer toward building public confidence and achieving real solutions that ensure every Michigander can safely bathe their kids and give them a glass of water at the dinner table’…
With the presence of PFAS becoming more prevalent, the state has been quickly working to establish what levels are safe to consume.
‘This is an important milestone for the safety of Michigan’s drinking water,’ EGLE Director Liesl Clark said. ‘These draft regulations represent the input from a diverse group of stakeholders who helped us shape regulations that are practical, science-driven and, most importantly, protective of public health. Here in Michigan, we remain committed to working together to root out PFAS contamination, protect at-risk populations and drive down exposure levels’…
Members of the multi-agency Michigan PFAS Action Response Team voted last month in favor of EGLE proceeding to establish Maximum Contaminant Levels (MCLs) for seven types of PFAS based on the MPART Science Advisory Workgroup’s recommended health-based values:
Draft Regulations for PFAS MCL
| Specific PFAS | Drinking Water MCL |
| PFNA | 6 ng/L (ppt) |
| PFOA | 8 ng/L (ppt) |
| PFHxA | 400,000 ng/L (ppt) |
| PFOS | 16 ng/L (ppt) |
| PFHxA | 51 ng/L (ppt) |
| PFBS | 420 ng/L (ppt) |
| GenX | 370 ng/L (ppt) |
- ng = a nanogram which indicates a mass equal to one billionth.
- L = Liter
- ppt = parts per trillion
The draft rule will follow the Administrative Rules Process handled by the Environmental Rules Review Committee, Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules, and Joint Committee on Administrative Rules. The rule also will be subject to a public comment period beginning in late 2019. A final rule could be adopted by April 2020…”